Positively Cleveland and the Gay Games invited Autostraddle to take a look at their facilities for the games and experience some of food and fun Cleveland has to offer the impending influx of queermos.

You’ll grow to love the glow of the city when it’s sunny outside and also its poetic gloom on rainy days; you’ll learn that the outdoor tables, no matter how gritty, are the most privileged spots at bars and restaurants; you’ll be surprised with how culturally diverse this city is; and you’ll become addicted to the unstoppable activities day and night.

Halifax is a historic city with the Celtic charm expected of Nova Scotia, overflowing with arts, culture, music and bars, so many bars. As it’s the biggest city in the Maritimes region of Canada, lots of queers from across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI make the pilgrimage to our seaside city.

The South is notoriously friendly. It is also notoriously bigoted. In 2006, the year I moved to Nashville, an anti-marriage equality proposition passed. It felt like a slap in the face and a sign to leave. Six years later, I couldn’t be more happy that I stayed.

Pensacola is a complicated place for queers. While we play host to tens of thousands of LGBT tourists on Memorial Day weekend, everyday life is not as out and proud. Yet the community here is fairly close-knit, and many friendships span a decade or more.